Garage door openers of the type mounted on the ceiling of a garage are commonly known. Typically overhead garage door openers incorporate a belt or chain drive that is operated to move a garage door into the open and closed position.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,565 issued on Mar. 31, 1987 to Chamberlain Manufacturing Corporation (filed as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 758,822 on Jul. 25, 1985) discloses a garage door opener having an arm connected to the garage door. The arm is further connected to a cable drive system and a track, both of which are positioned along the ceiling extending from near the top of the garage door. The cable drive system is motorized and causes the arm to move along the track, an action that moves the garage door between an open and closed position. The arm connecting to the garage door extends below the ceiling mounted track into the garage when the garage door is opened
As another example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0047672 filed on Aug. 27, 2007 by James Gorman and Theron Neeley (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/845,373) discloses a garage door opener having an arm connected to the garage door. The arm is further connected to a drive system and a track, both of which may be positioned along the ceiling extending from near the top of the garage door or along a wall of the garage. The drive system is powered and operated by an electric motor or a battery powered motor. The motor is activated by a switch, and when activated causes the arm to move along the track to move the garage door between an open and closed position. The arm connecting to the garage door extends even farther into the interior of the garage than the track when the garage door is opened.
As yet another example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0260575 filed on Apr. 12, 2011 by Pietro A. Monaco (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/084617) discloses a garage door opener having an arm connected to a garage door. The arm is further connected to a cable drive system and a track, both of which are positioned along the ceiling extending from near the top of the garage door. The drive system is powered and operated by an electric motor. The motor is activated by a control module that reacts to a switch or signal from a remote controller. When activated, the motor causes the arm to move along the track to move the garage door between an open and closed position. The arm connecting to the garage door extends into the garage below the ceiling mounted track when the garage door is opened.
Garage door openers that require a spring connection to assist with the opening and closing of a garage door are also known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,224 issued on Jul. 1, 1986 to Derry E. Tucker (filed as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 576,211 on Feb. 2, 1984) discloses a garage door opener having spring connected cables that extend from the base of the garage door. The spring is connected to a chain and tension upon the chain causes an arm connected to the garage door to move along an overhead track to move the garage door between an open and closed position. This prior art requires a track to be positioned in the ceiling of the garage and the arm connecting to the garage door extends below the ceiling mounted track into the garage when the garage door is opened.
As yet another example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0007500 filed on Jun. 20, 2014 by Magna Closures Inc. (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/309996) discloses a garage door opener having a motor connected to the side wall of a garage and further connected to a drum and shaft extending above a garage door. A torsion spring integrated with the shaft driven by the motor arm causes the shaft to rotate and the drums positioned at either end of the shaft to wind or unwind cable from around the drums with the rotation of the shaft. The cable is connected to the garage door so that as the cable is wound around the drums the garage door is lifted to an open position and as the cable is unwound from the drums the garage door is moved to a closed position. This prior art requires that the motor be connected directly to the shaft element of the garage door opener. It also incorporates many parts to function.
Generally, known prior art garage door openers are either fully powered, so that power is required to both open and close the garage door, or fully manual so that the garage door is manually opened and closed.